Stocking



(NoMod'el.)

y T. H. DODGE.

STOGKING.

No. 338,341. Patented Mar. 23, '1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. DODGE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

STOCKING.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,341, dated Idarch 23. 1886.

Application filed June 20, 1885. Serial No. 169,271. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. DODGE, of the city and county of Vorcester, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knit Goods; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of a stocking embracing my said improvement. Fig. 2 represents upon an enlarged .scale a vertical central section on dotted line a', Fig. l, the top of leg and foot with a portion of ankle being broken off; and Fig. 3 represents, also upon an enlarged scale, a cross-section of the leg on line b b, Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow, same figure.

To enable those skilled in the art to which myinvention belongs to make and usethe same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

ln the drawings, the part marked C represents a stocking complete, the front part of the foot being marked E.

From the point indicated by the dotted line b on the ankle, a second leg, D, is joined to the leg C of the stocking C, and extends to the top thereof, leaving a space, ci, between the two legs C and D. l knit the legs down to the point b separately, and then take up the stitches of both upon a separate machine, and complete the ankle and footin the usual manner of knitting the ankles and feet of stockings as heretofore practiced. I knit the parts C' and D in what is known as regular rib7 work, since when so knit the stitches can easily be transferred to the needles of a knittingmachine designed especiallyfor knitting the plain ankle and foot.

The object attained by knitting stockings with double legs, hereinafter described, is a more perfect and comfortable fit between the bottoms of the drawers and the stockinglegs, and one that obviates the use of strings and buttons to hold the lower ends of the drawerlegs down, at the same time keeping the ankle above the joint warm, and conducing to a free and natural circulation of the blood, all as hereinafter described.

In practice the inner leg is to be drawn up and then the end of the drawers-leg drawn down over the inner leg of the stockingv` after which the outer leg is drawn up over the leg of the drawers, thus guarding against the slipping down of the stocking, as well as the drawing up of the drawers-leg, and securing a comfortable tit between the drawers and the stockings, and one, too, which prevents currents of air passing between the drawers-leg and the stocking, which is uncomfortable, es pecially in cold weather.

In Fig. 1 the ribs F have narrow grooves c between them, and one of the ribs and apart of another on the back of the leg are drawn to illustrate the stitches forming the rib F, and these shaded ribs are lettered F', as they more fully illustrate the finished appearance of the stocking-leg. Figs. 2 and 3, which are drawn upon an enlarged scale, represent the legs C and D separated to leave a space, a, between them, for the purpose of illustrating the invention more fully, and it will be seen that opposite the narrow grooves c there are narrow ribs d on the inside of the legs C' and D, while opposite the wide ribs F there are wide grooves G on the inside of the same legs. Consequently when the ribbed inner leg, C, is drawn up about the ankle and lower limb the ribs d will touch the skin first and tend to keep parts G away from the same, and as a result the circulation of the blood will not be materially checked,while there will be a tendency to facilitate the escape of perspiration, since in walking the motion of the body and limbs tends to lift at each step the drawers-leg. and the stocking-legs C and D tend to lift and lower the drawers-leg alternately.

' The general practice of men and boys heretofore has been to tie or button the lower ends of the drawers-legs about the ankles-a practice producing very injurious results, since the lower limbs are more or less corded and the blood checked and prevented from circulating freely through the veins and arteries leading from the body to the feet. Then,

again, there is comparatively little flesh above the ankle-joint to protect and shield the veins and arteries, and when shoes are worn in late fall, winter, and early spring the blood is Io chilled at the ankles when only the ordinary stockings are worn, which, taken in connection with the corded condition of the limbs above alluded to, so impedes the circulation of the blood as to render it impure, thereby impairing the whole system more or less.

My invention is well calculated to remedy all of the above difliculties, since the ends of the drawerslegs are held down between the double legs C and D, the friction between the outer surfaces, F and c, of the inner leg, C', and the inner surfaces, G and d, of the outer leg, D, holding the drawers-leg by an elastic clamp action, which does not allow the drawers-leg to slip or draw up from between them when any upstrain comes upon the drawers leg, the stocking-legs yielding or stretching, but retracting again when the strain is over, thereby Vpulling the drawers-leg back to its normal position.

Reference has been made more particularly in the above statement to the action of linen, cotton, and cotton-flannel'drawers.

The leg D, being knit of an elastic material, will stretch and conform to whatever size is necessary to properly cover and hold the drawers-leg between the outer and inner stocking-legs, (l and D.

During rainy weather and light snow-storms THOS. H. DODGE.

Vitnesses:

CHAs. D. GAY, ALBERT A. BARKER. 

